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This time I'm writing from Clovis, NM, a town where I had lived for 23 years before moving away. Feels kind of good to come "home", see my friends and those folks who have been influential in my personal and music life. Having a great trip so far, trusting God and getting some awesome messages about that subject through church services and bible studies in each place as I travel on my way. TRUST and FAITH. MUSIC WISE: My first special time took place in Hot Springs, SD, with friends Pastor Bill & Pat Martin! Love those two and their girls. As always when I'm there it's a privilege to be included in the church service at Joy Community Fellowship. It's been great to also attend some of their other activities, such as bible studies and gatherings. One cool thing: Joy Community Fellowship will be adding two of my songs to their worship service as God leads - "Goodness And Mercy" and "Victory!" (a song I co-wrote with 7 other songwriters in Aspen last year)!! That's exciting! Then my next stop was Arvada, CO, hooking up with fellow musician friends Mike & Kim Eaton (Renewed), hanging at their house. Picking up Indie musician Erisa Rei, she and I took off from Arvada to Aspen for InspireSong 2018. Once there, we roomed with my friend Dora and her friend Aggie! She's one cool lady too! We had such fun together! It is really amazing how people, once strangers, now have become friends! One of the highlights at InspireSong is always the small group co-write sessions. This year I was able to write a song with Tony Chung another Indie musician/songwriter friend from Canada whom I've met two years ago at InspireSong. Tony and I had a blast writing together. Neither one of us had laughed that hard in a long time! So as you can imagine we wrote a fun song, which by the way is totally out of both of our genres. If you are coming to any of my concerts, you will be hearing that song! After InspireSong and back in Arvada, I had the privilege to be at Renewed's band practice and videoing one of their songs with my phone! Musicians are characters.... which makes it so fun when you take videos! (Their website is: www.renewed-music.com) From Arvada my present stop is Clovis, NM, where I am until after my concert on June 2 and church service on June 3 at First Christian Church. Last Sunday (May 27) was amazing! Leading worship at Crossroads Cowboy Church in Broadview, NM and catching up with another person influential in my music adventure was such a privilege! Thank you Pastor Kymburly & Travis Odell for having me! I will never forget those bible studies at the Odell home and the teens I had the privilege to help years ago! They wanted to do music as a band and it was great to see them grow and go forward in their music giftings for the glory of God! Grateful for my friend Susan who has been hosting me all this week. She is a runner, so I've been riding the bike while she gets in her 3-4 miles and so far we've also been walking 3 miles every night! I really have missed an exercise partner. Talk about motivation!!! Since I got here it's been a busy stay with the airshow at Cannon Air Force Base and seeing the Thunderbirds fly, running errands, doing some fun shopping and even planting flowers. It was so nice to see Susan's daughter Jill (who is now SO grown up!!!) and visiting with Susan's mom! It was a blessing for me to fix one of her mom's favorite bracelets which she hadn't gotten to wear for a long time because it was broken! It's been really nice to be with my longtime friend, who has always been the sister to me I never had! During this week, a wonderful lunch time was spent with another friend, Rose Kelly at my favorite place to eat Leal's Mexican Restaurant. We caught up sharing stuff from our lives, kids and ministry - just good fellowship! Equally fun has been eating all my favorite foods I don't get at home. Like Allsups Burritos, Taco Box guacamole/bacon burrito, Taco Villa's cheese fries and yet to do Twin Cronnie's jalapeno cheese balls! So many other places I'd love to eat, however there's not enough time to get all that in - and I do need to eat at least halfway healthy in between the fun foods!! :) Wednesday night I went to a bible study of another pastor friend, David & Geri Dawson, who also have been influential people in my music life and who I'm honored to count as family in Christ.  UPCOMING EVENTS: Date: 6/2/18 Time: 6:30 pm Event: Concert Nite Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM Concert time at First Christian Church, our home church Warren and I attended after we got married! I'm SO looking forward to catching up with Pastor Jon and the folks there and anyone who would like to attend! It's free.... so come on out. For those of you who don't have my new music yet.... and NO I'm NOT playing Christian Rock anymore.... my 2 latest CD's (contemporary and organic folk) will be available for purchase, as will be my book, songbook and t-shirt which accompany my latest CD "When Wallflowers Dance" and also some of my own jewelry line 'NotesNBling'. Excited to see everyone!! Date: 6/3/18 Time: 10:30 am Worship Service Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM I'll be "special music" during Sunday's worship service.  Date: 6/16/18 Time: 7 pm Place: The Refuge 4317 Red Bluff Road Town: Pasadena, TX Another "homecoming" playing at this coffeehouse/ministry in Pasadena TX. Melanie Daigle has been another influential person in my music life and so thankful for her and how God has used her not only in my life but countless others she has ministered to through The Refuge over the years! IN ENDING:
Next my route will take me to the Corpus Christi area, then Pasadena and on to Oklahoma and back home. You know, amidst all the times I had "lay-overs" so far on my trip, there have been neat times of ministry, blessing people and loving on them in a variety of forms. If it was spending time in fellowship, eating together, fixing broken jewelry, playing music or writing songs, watching their dogs or planting flowers.....none of those days was ever wasted and the Lord was always in the midst. Sometimes ministry looks so different than we imagine. Sometimes it's just being....not always doing or preaching. Those friendships formed, re-kindled or strengthened are vital to ourselves and others. It's about people, about those we love and those we get to love because we haven't met them yet. It's an amazing journey! Keep watch on my Facebook page for "pop-up" concerts on my way. Otherwise, after Pasadena my next "gig" will be in Beloit, WI for Rock On The Rock fest, where Warren will also be serving his famous BBQ! ....lastly, I've been reminded a lot on this trip: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9 and: "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:8-9. Thank you for your prayers for me on this tour! One sad news I need to mention. Warren messaged me that his aunt Virginia passed away and that her funeral will be today (Saturday, June 2) in Texico at First Baptist. So I will be there with family members who came in from out of town before my concert tonight. Please keep family in prayers as they miss their loved one. Until next month, keep checking back on this website and mostly on my Facebook page (Sam Scales Music) for frequent updates on happenings and events. Don't forget to click the "Track" button for my concert announcements in your area. Sam
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 Hello to all from Hot Springs, SD!! I've started my tour and am enjoying fellowship at my first destination, Joy Community Fellowship Church. It's been great to have this time together with Pastor Bill and Pat, whom Warren and I have known 15 years or so. Every time I come here I just feel "life"! So, if ya in the Hot Springs, SD area, do visit! Their Sunday services are at 11 am. I'll be doing a lot more traveling. In a week I'll be hooking up with songwriters at the InspireSong songwriter conference, learning, playing music and possibly doing some songwriting. Then as I go on, I'll be doing a few concerts, visiting friends and family on this trip, going from SD to CO to NM to TX and then through OK and IA on my way home. Keep this trip in prayer please, for safety, provision and more open doors for music opportunities. MUSIC WISE: So....I got some bad news today from the studio.... which I'm praying will turn into good news the Lord willing. As many of you know I was supposed to go into the studio in Albuquerque, NM recording at a friend's studio to release my next album... Due to short notice on finding a cajon player (as my producer friend assumed Warren would be with) and him not feeling peace from God about all this, he decided to cancel this session and maybe plan for a better time frame. I'm always for having peace and if that is absent then there's no need nor reason to do something which may not be God's perfect plan. Although I'm very sad and had SO hoped for a new album, this means it'll be a while longer before it'll be recorded. How long that depends upon the Lord's timeline and provisions. It'll either be at the studio with my friend at a later time, or.... this could be a God sized adventure, believing Him for that which is impossible for me to do - namely financing a project in Nashville. I have a producer there willing to work with me.... :) So I'm excited to see what God will do in these next coming days, weeks, months..... Since I'll be attending InspireSong 2018 in Aspen next week, I need to also be open to what connections might be made there, thus it's best to leave it all in the capable hands of the very One who gave the music in the first place. Having patience is the difficult part when you want something so bad.... yet, we must wait and trust.  UPCOMING EVENTS on the road: Date: 5/4/2018 Event: Live Music in the dining room Place: The Brookside Apartments 201 South River Street Town: Hot Springs, SD Come enjoy some live music in the dining room. Open to all in Hot Springs who would like to come. I'll be sharing a lot of my original songs, sharing some stories and playing worship songs. Date: 5/6/2018 Time: 11 am Place: Joy Community Fellowship Church 309 Canton Ave. Town: Hot Springs, SD I'm SO thrilled to be able to be back at my favorite lil' church in South Dakota and visiting with our pastor friends, family and church family there! I feel part of this place, this people and am always honored when I can serve in the service with the gifts and talents God bestowed to me. Date: 5/10-13/2018 Event: InspireSong 2018 Songwriter Conference Place: Crossroads Church 726 W. Francis Street Town: Aspen, CO This is the third year that I'll be attending this wonderful conference. Looking forward to seeing old friends from the past conferences and meeting new ones who are coming this year for the first time. Hoping to play some songs at the open mic times during the conference. OPEN DATES available: Albuquerque, NM Sunday, May 19 - Tuesday May 22 for music/worship or NotesNBling gatherings (music and jewelry "party") Clovis, NM Wednesday, May 23 - Friday Jun 1 for music/worship or NotesNBling gatherings (music and jewelry "party")  Date: 6/2/18 Time: 6:30 pm Event: Concert Nite Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM Excited to be back at the church hubby Warren attended before we got married and I got to join him to be part of the congregation there before we moved away. Truly miss the pastor and his wife and the folks there. So excited to be able to be back and bring the blessing of music into the house of worship! Date: 6/3/18 Time: 10:30 am Worship Service Place: First Christian Church 1700 N. Main Town: Clovis, NM I'll be "special music" during Sunday's worship serving there with my gifts. More dates later on in June....which will be updated in the next newsletter.  MUSIC RECAP: In April Warren and I played for Empty Bowls, a fundraiser event for Place of Hope, to raise awareness that there's someone in our country and in the world who's bowl is always empty. Warren and I have participated in this event ever since we moved into the area pretty much. Warren has helped out with the soups, distributing, warming up, organizing and delegating and I've participated as a vendor and playing music, donating a percentage of my sales to Place of Hope. Place of Hope helps the homeless, provides meals and a warm place to stay and also has a program for recovery for men and women who want to change their lives and come out of darkness to walk in the light of hope.... and with the Lord.  One of the events we totally enjoy is the BURN (Central MN 12-hour BURN). It's a 12 hour prayer and worship event which takes place in the St. Cloud area either bi-monthly or every 3 months at different churches. It begins at 9 am and goes until 9 pm. Worship slots are two hours and is lead by different musicians or worship leaders throughout that time. We love taking part and just playing worship, sharing scriptures and soaking in the presence of the Lord. We come early before our set and staying after, soaking in the peace that is present in the room. If you've never come to a BURN, do! You don't have to stay the 12 hours! Come when you can, stay as long as you feel led to be there. It's really awesome! IN ENDING:
Although I heard disappointing news, I need to share with you all before I sign off, that the bible studies I attended through Joy Community Fellowship today were total preparation for the news from the studio which would come later in the day! God is so good. Now even though the recording is not happening, that doesn't mean it never will or be put off indefinitely, because it's going to happen, but in His timeline. The first study this morning was titled: The Crisis of Belief. Basically what we talked about today was that if God gave you a directive of something He wants you do, what you do in response to that, reveals what you truly believe about God. For example, if God gives you something God-sized to do and you believe that it's something that you can't do it because you don't have the resources, that's the crisis of belief. You still go towards that direction, no matter what it may look like, because you will trust and believe that God will bring about what He told you to do. So....to translate that into my situation, instead of me getting down and discouraged and giving up on the recording of my next project, if I believe God and trust that He will provide, I can actually believe Him for what I TRULY want - which is recording with producer Dan Needham in Nashville - which is certainly a HUGE GOD-SIZED project only God can bring to pass. What might be YOUR God-sized project you are trusting Him for? Share that with me! Thank you all for your prayers and also keep Warren in prayer as he is working hard at home. Until June..... Love y'all. Sam |
Christian Organic Folk Singer/Songwriter & Author
based in Minnesota See my Jewelry!
 Psalm 100 Scripture
1 Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. 3 Know that the LORD Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. 4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. 5 For the LORD is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations. Archives
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